The date actually passed 2 weeks ago, but I was too busy to notice. Happy Toyhouse birthday to my OTP...Anqien and Jinai my beloveds...I can't believe it's only been a year and they're already by far my most drawn OCs. Thank you so much to everyone who has made art of them, both during Art Fight and in the earlier art trades, and the people I've been able to commission  and also thank you to everyone who's read Offshore, and everyone who's told me they love these two or other members of the cast. 🥹

There are many reasons they are so beloved to me. Their story signifies my efforts to work through some difficult life events, to figure out how to trust myself and befriend people again after that. I didn't feel like I had truly recovered until I had poured it all into a story of my own. And I mean, who doesn't imagine sailing off into the distance and starting life over in a different place on some days? (Well, I do.)

Offshore materialised almost instantly, during a month of my life that I remember very fondly: it was my first time back home in 3 years, my first time experiencing falling snow, and my first time presenting my published academic work. I wrote it across 45 hours of train and airplane rides, and between frantically preparing to present to an international audience. The story of these two OCs has kinda crystallised that singularly special experience for the rest of time. I hope that everyone who reads it gets to feel it too!

I've got more unpublished art coming along, including probably my favourite art piece of them that I've made (it's my desktop wallpaper). Say hi to an orca or bottlenose dolphin in honour of them 😌 Or visit the seaside. Or have a hazelnut syrup latte with cinnamon powder (it's Anqien's favourite).

By the way, check out all these AMAZING Art Fight attacks I got featuring them. Hover/click for image credits!